(CNN) - Major veterans’ groups this Memorial Day weekend harshly criticized the top Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee after he charged that the leaders of the service organizations are too cozy with embattled VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and won’t call for him to resign despite allegations of mismanagement and wrongdoing in his department.

Sen. Richard Burr accused them of being “more interested in their own livelihoods and Washington connections than they are to the needs of their own members.”

That was Vice President Joe Biden's advice Monday to a crowd at the kickoff for the Road 2 Recovery Memorial Challenge - where 200 cyclists, including injured veterans, ride 325 miles from Washington to Virginia Beach.

Washington (CNN) – Some conservatives unhappy with House Speaker John Boehner's leadership are looking for a replacement, and recent moves by Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling are fueling speculation he wants Boehner's job in the next Congress.

Hensarling, who was part of Boehner's leadership team two years ago but left to chair the House Financial Services Committee, gave an expansive speech last week hosted by Heritage Action for America, a group that frequently and publicly clashes with Boehner.